‘I just know this is what I’m supposed to do with my life. The second I get a contract on the novel, I’ll quit my crappy job and make something of myself.”

Two issues in (at least, after enthusiastically seeking out a review copy) and I’m glad to report that Stan Lee & Chris Roberson’s Starborn isn’t just another comic series on the shelf. It has reminded me once again why Stan Lee’s comics are always a joy to read, and is definitely reinforcing why Chris Roberson is currently one of the best writers in the business (seriously, check out his work on Vertigo’s iZombie with artist Mike Allred, you”re brain will thank me). If the trend continues, Starborn will become one of the handful of comics that I happily collect and is more than worth passing on to you.

To set the book up for a moment, Benjamin Warner is an aspiring writer mindlessly drudging through the work week in an unfortunate office job while he chips away at his first novel in his free time. Warner is immediately a likable character, and as something of an everyman I imagine that most of us will relate to his wanting to better his situation and follow his dreams — though I doubt we’ll have to face an alien horde that seems intent on our destruction the next time we drag ourselves in to work.

It seems that the characters from his books are more real than he could have realized and save for the timely intervention of a childhood friend, in the form of the lovely Tara Takamoto, he would have been doomed to destruction by the claws of his very creations. The book moves at break neck speed and there’s never a dull moment as Khary Randolph masterfully lays out the story in his uniquely dynamic style. The pages prove very fun to look at whether the story has Warner sitting at his desk, or falling from a 50-story skyscraper and I like that with situations like this that the book certainly doesn’t take itself too seriously. I’m also looking forward to seeing some of the world building Roberson appears to have in store for us as we’re introduced to the cosmic side of our “Starborn” hero. This is a fun one so far folks, and there’s always room for a little more of that in comics, at least there certainly is in my collection.

If interested, look for Starborn #2 from BOOM! Studios this Wednesday at your local comic shop. See if you can’t pick up the first issue as well, as both will be well worth the trip.

Walt Disney Treasury: Donald Duck Vol. One features a beaut of a Don Rosa cover!

Pardon my enthusiasm, this just gets better and better for Disney and Duck fans as BOOM! celebrates Disney’s 70th Anniversary of Walt Disney Comics and Stories. These comics, of which I proudly own many, are among the highlights of my collection. So many of them contain superb works of art so by the verifiable legends of the comic field so if you’ve any degree of desire to see why these comics have lasted 70 years, please give one of the following treasuries a try.

“When we say ‘Classics Are Back at BOOM!’, we mean it!” Said BOOM! Studios Marketing Director Chip Mosher. “BOOM! is bringing tons of classic Disney stories by such beloved creators as Don Rosa, Floyd Gottfredson, Al Taliaferro among others! The fans demanded it and BOOM! delivers!”

Fans will find within the pages of WALT DISNEY TREASURY: DONALD DUCK VOLUME 1 Don Rosa’s first Donald Duck tales back in print! First up, Don Rosa’s “Return to Plain Awful” with Donald in search of square eggs . . . with Uncle Scrooge and Flintheart Glomgold in tow! Next, our dashing duck fights it out with über-lucky Gladstone in “Oolated Luck” and “Give Unto Others.” Experience jerky Neighbor Jones in “Recalled Wreck,” and Donald’s own super-smart nephews in ‘Mythological Menagerie” and “Making the Grade!” All this plus other timeless tales including “Fit to be Pied,” “Rocket Reverie,” “Forget Me Not,” “Star-Struck Duck,” “Metaphorically Spanking,” “The Crocodile Collector” and the rare Christmas classic “Fir-Tree Fracas.” WALT DISNEY TREASURY: DONALD DUCK VOLUME 1 also includes a cover gallery and ducky behind-the-scenes details never before told. WALT DISNEY TREASURY: DONALD DUCK VOLUME 2 then continues to collect Don Rosa’s classic run of Donald Duck stories including Donald’s travels across the globe and time, from Norway for the Winter Olympics to the Middle Ages for an epic battle against none other than King Arthur himself. Are we aiming to win a Junior Woodchuck Merit Badge, or what?

Last but definitely not least, DISNEY’S FOUR-COLOR ADVENTURES VOLUME 1 cracks open the Disney vault to find some of the rarest Disney comics ever created! This volume features classic Disney comics and gag strips from such creators as Al Taliaferro, Disney Legend Jack Hannah and many more, reprinted for the first time in decades.

From time to time here at Follow that Raven, I’ll be covering comics that I feel are something special and where classic Disney comics and stories are concerned, I feel confident in saying that they are definitely worth your time, and that they certainly aren’t something just for the younger crowd to sit back and enjoy. A good Carl Barks tale, for example, will transport you back to the days of your childhood when all you wanted to do was explore and find out about the world, and when Barks, Gottfredson, Rosa, Jippes and the rest have you there, it’s awfully hard not to wear a big ‘ol smile. Who among us can’t appreciate that kind of creativity?

Well, at this year’s New York Comic Con Boom! Studios announced their ‘BOOM Kids! 2.0!’ initiative and a number of us wondered what that meant? Well, our first indication came earlier today in their latest press release:

In celebration of the 70th anniversary of Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, ‘Classics are back at BOOM!’ Beginning in January, WALT DISNEY’S COMICS AND STORIES #715 and MICKEY MOUSE #304 will feature some of the greatest Disney comic book stories ever told, including some that have not seen print in almost 50 years. The new initiative is the latest stage of ‘BOOM Kids! 2.0’ which was previously announced at the New York Comic Con.

So, yea, this is great news.

When Boom! Studios was awarded the Disney license a couple of years ago I was curious to see what they’d offer new and old fans alike. Disney has a massive vault of treasures at their disposal (enough to make Scrooge himself envious) and I was hoping they’d really tap into that reservoir, but to say that they stumbled out of the gate would be a huge understatement where I’m concerned. Their focus was almost solely on new stories, and even that would have been fine for a time if the quality of those stories would have been up to muster, but they just couldn’t go toe to toe with the classic Carl Barks and Floyd Gottfredson material that Gemstone Publishing had been sustaining fans on for years to that point and the only place fans of the classic Disney stories could turn were their overpriced (there’s no way around it) hardcover collections.

I had resigned myself to simply picking up these collections (those featuring material we hadn’t already seen collected recently that is) online when they were discounted when Boom! announced that Duck Tales (based on the animated series in the 80’s) would once again become a feature in their Uncle Scrooge comic. Like most kids in the late 80’s, I loved Disney’s Duck Tales so that certainly got my attention. Then, Boom! announced that the successful Darkwing Duck would return in his own mini series as well. Sales were impressive enough on that front that there’s an ongoing Darkwing Duck comic and they went a step further by announcing a Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers ongoing. All of these look very impressive and given the creative teams on board (creators that care about the properties) things really started looking up and I’m anxiously awaiting the collected editions of each of these.

So, in January it appears that fans will see a new focus on Disney classics (which hopefully they can balance effectively with newer material) and if all of this is indicative of the approach Boom! Studios is taking into the New Year then I’m grateful that they’re doing so and that I’ll gladly support them where I can. I hope you’ll give these a go as well so that you can see just why these stories have been beloved the world over for so long.

Contact Info. & Reviews

Contact Info.

Should you have a quick comment, suggestion or a general question you can feel free to contact me at:

texcap1(at)yahoo.com

Reviews

Should you be interested in me reviewing your book, feel free to contact me at the e-mail address above (or contact me within the comments section of a particular post). There will be no responsibility on my part to review a particular book, and I can't promise that I'll be able to drop everything to read it straight way, but I will do my best to leave honest feedback where I can, and gushing praise where I feel it is warranted on the site.

As for the genres I'm willing to review, they pretty much run the gambit, but I'm most interested in focusing on fantasy, sci-fi and mystery/horror for the purposes of the site. Still, I'm open minded and willing to review where able so contact me if you think I can help draw attention to your honest to goodness effort.

The only other provisions are that while I will read small press books, these do not include print on demand efforts at this point, nor do I have the time, interest (or eyes) for reviewing e-books. There may be a few other exceptions in there but feel free to ask away.